A Bird Welcome to Cumberland Gap National Historical Park

I paid a short visit to the Cumberland Gap National Historical Park this past weekend to take advantage of the beautiful weather we had on Sunday and enjoy the mountains.

When I reached the Pinnacle Overlook the mountains were still veiled in fog.  As I waited for the sun to clear the view, a Yellow-billed cuckoo paid a visit, perching in full view on a tree at the edge of the trail.  Of course I had the wrong lens on the camera for this shot.  But his appearance, along with the arrival of a Pileated woodpecker, made my first visit to the overlook all the more welcoming.

I got one more teasing glimpse of the cuckoo about ten minutes later as he flew closer and lower to grab one of the blue berries pictured below.

His berry-plucking style was more like a snatch as I caught the flash of brown wings and light underbelly as he departed.  The upside is, I'll be visiting that spot again soon and I know at least one place where he likes to hang out.   Below, the beautiful view from Pinnacle Overlook as the fog was lifting.

The park contains 24,000 acres and more than 80 miles of trails nestled in ridges of the Appalachian Mountains that spill into the three states of Tennessee, Kentucky and Virginia.  From the Ft Lyons trail near the overlook you can see the peak where the borders of these three states come together.  The park abounds with history and stories of pioneers who crossed these ridges on foot.  Something to consider as you take in the view.

I visited the park's visitor's center where I'll be exhibiting art and giving presentations on Birds and Art during the Raptor Rhapsody festival October 1st, 2nd and 3rd.  The three-day festival has a packed schedule of bird related presentations and activities, including a hawk migration watch at Pinnacle Overlook, several in-the-field photography classes, and numerous nature and history interpretive programs that will be taking place throughout each day.

Below are a few of my finds as I wandered the park's trails.

Golden aster with spider web, above, and Jewel Weed, below.

A Halysidota tessellaris caterpillar (Banded Tussock moth) with lichen, below.

A gorgeous Question Mark butterfly (Polygonia interrogationis).  I love the way the icy blue edging on the wings stands out against that pale leaf! (Click image to enlarge.)

Below, a sketch of the view from Pinnacle Overlook.  

You may enjoy the following links:

For information about the park and the Raptor Rhapsody festival visit Cumberland Mountain National Historical Park

Discover Life's ID Nature Guide is a great help in identifying many species and where I found my caterpillar and confirmed the Question Mark ID

And if you like Pileated Woodpeckers, you may also enjoy visiting my series of posts on the Pileated Woodpeckers that occasionally visit my yard.  Always a treat!